BiographySaint Michaels Productions AB produces documentaries, experimental films and art installations with an emphasis on personal stories and mixed-media art. The company concentrates on existential and social themes with a focus on the political issues of our time and the eternal questions tied to the human condition. It is based in Gothenburg, Sweden and develops films for television, cinema and art platforms with strong connections to the international market.

Johanna St Michaels’ first documentary, “Best Wishes Bernhard”, was awarded the national film award “Dokumentärfilmspremien” in 2003. Her “Snap Shots from Reality” was nominated for “Best International Short” at the Bird Eye’s View festival at London’s ICA, and received a special mention at Nordic Panorama and she was awarded the Gothenburg Culture Prize in 2011 for her art film "The Island Amid The Worlds".

Johanna studied at the School of Visual Art in New York City and has a Master’s degree in fine art photography from the University of Gothenburg. She has exhibited her photography at downtown Manhattan venues as varied as CBGBs, the Tribeca Arts Club and as part of James Dzanger’s art collection. Johanna also participated at the Eurodoc Producers Workshops during 2011 and in Sources 2, Creative Europe 2013.

Since 2014, her controversial documentary “Penthouse North”, (premiering at Hot Docs, Toronto) about the former actor/model Agneta Eckemyr, has been screened at several international festivals.

St Michaels initiated and took part in an international collaboration that launched the exhibition “The Inertia Variations” at Röda Sten Konsthall and Konstepidemin in Gothenburg, Sweden.

In 2015, she directed “Jockey” for Swedish Television, a documentary about two young women pursuing their dream to become professional jockeys andshe was also one of eight filmmakers selected to make a short film especially for Swedish Television: “A Smorgasbord of Sin” depicts fans of the burlesque scene, a scene that challenges our views on sexual stereotypes, norms and sexuality.

Johanna St Michaels, Gothenburg City's Culture Grant 2011,motivation: "…her films all have in common that they depict the human being from the inside out, the beauty of an artist that doesn't shy away from human complexity, but highlights it as our greatest asset."

Johanna St Michaels, Västra Götalands, Culture Grant 2015,Motivation: “An intimate approach and closeness distinguishes her work regardless if the topic is contemporary art, art film or a musical installation.”

Karin Blixt began working with Saint Michaels Production AB in 2011, currently as a consulting dramaturg and assistant to the producer in the projects “The Inertia Variations”, “Jockey” and our short documentary about the burlesque scene. She is also one of the project managers and directors/scriptwriters at Teater Trixter in Gothenburg. Karin's experience from theatre is a valuable asset at Saint Michaels Productions, where we often merge different art forms in the documentary format.